Financial Times defines a global mindset as “openness to and awareness of diversity across cultures and markets with a propensity to see common patterns across them.” Beyond complex definitions and research findings, a global mindset is easily recognizable in people – in particular those who boast an AUBG education. One of these successful alumni is Teodor Stoev, a Bulgarian Business Administration graduate whose life path has taken him through the bustling global hubs of Dubai and Singapore.
Teodor “blames” three major university-related factors for his first steps into the global world: “people, people and people”. The first group naturally includes his fellow AUBGers with their diverse backgrounds but common goals of development. “Life at AUBG is an international experience – no one can escape from it. And that’s the beauty of it,” he claims. The mindset that students acquire – of constant self-improvement – is, in Teodor’s words, his most important asset. This mindset is developed in an environment where “AUBG students join clubs, share lobbies and library tables, play sports and create art, learn to live with and appreciate each other.”
The second group that played a role in his AUBG life consists of the faculty and administration with their international experience, up-to-date knowledge and career guidance tips. The chronologically last but not least relevant group is the “important, powerful and international” AUBG network. “My girlfriend is an AUBG alumnus, both my jobs so far were closely linked to AUBG alumni, and even when I traveled to far-away places like Korea I stayed at the homes of AUBG alumni!” Teodor shares.
He started working for the Balkans Investment Consulting Agency based in Sofia but upon graduation moved to Dubai where he was employed by the technological giant Philips. Afterwards, Teodor transferred to the Singaporean branch of the corporation. “The fact that both places have been able to achieve such a rapid and sustainable growth in only a few decades is amazing – it inspires me to think big!” he says and draws a parallel between the two and AUBG, which has recently expanded its popularity across borders.
The only challenges Teodor faces abroad are being away from his family (“the smell and taste of grandma’s food” he jokingly adds) and friends because they are all “dispersed across the globe.”
Currently residing in Singapore with his girlfriend, he is optimistic about his future in the bustling South-East Asian region. His understanding of the markets and extensive local network, in his view, will allow him to take advantage of various business and travel opportunities. What he will pack on his future trips is the AUBG mindset that helps him “live and work in a world that is changing at such a pace that adapting on a daily basis is crucial.”
Story by Yoana Savova
Article reprinted with permission.
Originally published on AUBG website.